Bladder type dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser wherein a resilient bladder is stretched over a curved surface presented by a supporting rib which extends into the dispenser. Both the bladder and the supporting rib are elongated and are anchored at one end in a dispensing valve assembly mounted in a wall of the dispenser. The bladder is open at its anchored end and communicates with a valved passage in the valve assembly so as to discharge its contents therethrough. At its opposite end, the bladder is closed and, to make sure that it will expel all of its contents, is attached to the supporting rib in such a manner as to put the body of the bladder into tension along its length.

United States Patent Gortz et al.

[ Sept. 23, 1975 BLADDER TYPE DISPENSER [76] Inventors: Norman Gortz,lllSl Coventry Pl.,

Santa Ana, Calif. 92705; Michael B. Maccarone, i7932 Gillman Ave.,Irvine, Calif. 92664 3.426.948 2/l969 Stirling ZZZ/402.11

Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Knobbe,Martens, Olson, Hubbard & Bear [57] ABSTRACT A dispenser wherein aresilient bladder is stretched over a curved surface presented by asupporting rib Division Of No. I970, which extends into the dispenser.Both the bladder 3,767,078- and the supporting rib are elongated and areanchored at one end in a dispensing valve assembly mounted in U-S- R awall of the dispenser The bladder is open at an- Clhored end andcommunicates a valved assage [58] Flew Search 222/95 385-5, in the valveassembly so as to discharge its contents 222M021; 220/633 28/214therethrough. At its opposite end, the bladder is closed and, to makesure that it will expel all of its [56] References Cmd contents, isattached to the supporting rib in such a UNITED STATES PATENTS manner asto put the body of the bladder into tension 3,300,102 1/1967 BudzichZZZ/386.5 along its length- 3,3l7,090 5/1967 Meshberg ZZZ/386.53,361,303 1/1968 Jacuzzi 222/212 x 27 Clam, 23 D'awmg A 11; 140 #7 l J!L 62' 5;; If I! I 77 1 1!;

A! j ff 1% US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 3 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet4 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 5 0f 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 6 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 7 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 8 of 11 3,907,169

744 .1 56: [7 fie. Z74.

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 9 of 11 3,907,169

Eli z Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 11 of 11 3,907,169

US Patent BLADDER TYPE DISPENSER This is a division, of Ser. No. 86,506,filed Nov. 3, 1970, US. Pat. No. 3,767,078.

The present invention relates generally to pressurized fluid dispensersand more specifically to a dispenser in which the required pressure isprovided by a resilient bladder which expands elastically when itreceives its contents and which then contracts to expel those contents.In order to insure that the bladder will expel practically all of itscontents, it is prestressed over a surface in such a manner that itsopposing walls continue to press toward one another even when thebladder is empty.

A pressurized dispenser of this type is disclosed and claimed in US.Pat. No. 3,506,005. The present inventors are also two of the inventorsof this patent. In one embodiment of the patented dispenser, acylindrical mandrel extends from the floor of the dispenser body towardits top, where a valve assembly is seated. A resilient bladder which isclosed at one end and open at the opposite end is attached at its openend to the valve assembly and is prestressed by being pulled over themandrel. This is done by pressing the tip of the mandrel against theclosed end of the cylindrical bladder so as to fold the closed end ofthe bladder back into itself. In this way the mandrel not only pushesthe bottom portion of the bladder back into the top portion, but it alsostretches both portions of the bladder radially outwardly and againstone another. This manner of prestressing a bladder requires that theprestressing mandrel be aligned carefully with the tubular bladder.

An improved pressurized dispenser utilizing a prestretched bladder isdisclosed in patent application Ser. No. 887,189 filed by the inventorsof the present invention on Dec. 22, 1969, which application issued onOct. 17, 1972 as US. Pat. No. 3,698,595. In the improved dispenser themandrel is tapered from its base toward its tip and the closed end ofthe bladder is formed by a disk-like membrane which is capable offlexing between a concave position and a convex position when the tip ofthe mandrel is pressed against it, thereby helping to align the membranewith the mandrel. Both the provision of the flexible membrane and thetapered mandrel help to ease the assembly of the mandrel in the bladder.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention thebladder is prestressed longitudinally rather than radially in such amanner that this prestressing can be achieved before the final assemblyof the pressurized container. More particularly, there is provided forfinal assembly into a substantially rigid outer container a preassembledinner pressurized capsule which includes a valve assembly, an elongatedprestressing member which extends from the valve assembly, and aresilient bladder which is stretched longitudinally along theprestressing member with its inlet end being anchored in the valveassembly and its opposite, closed end being attached to the prestressingmember. After the capsule has been assembled, it may then be insertedinto an opening in the outer container in which it may be anchored byany one of a number of alternative means, preferred ones of which aredisclosed herein.

Normally, with the pressurized capsule in place in the container, theprestressing member extends generally parallel to the wall of thecontainer and stops short of its base. This arrangement has severaladvantages.

First, since the bladder expands asymmetrically relative to thesupporting member the capsule need not be axially mounted in thecontainer. And, for the same reason, the container can take variousshapes. Second, since the bladder is stretched longitudinally to lieflat on the supporting member, it tends to expand evenly as it isfilled, without localized bulging. Third, by mounting the supportingmember near one wall sector and well above the base of the container,the bladder is given more room to expand before hitting any portionthereof. As a result, the bladder receives most of its contents beforeabutting against the container, thus reducing the ultimate pressureexerted by the filled bladder against the container. A fourth advantageof the pressurized capsule concept, wherein a bladder is stretchedlongitudinally upon a support member, is that the amount of pressureexerted by the bladder upon its contents can be readily changed byincreasing or reducing the extent by which the bladder is elongatedlongitudinally in its stretched condition. Thus, fluids of differentconsistency can be accommodated without changing the dimensions ofeither the bladder or of the supporting member upon which it isstretched.

In accordance with a related feature of the present invention, thepressurized capsule is made sufficiently versatile to permit its useboth in an upright container, in which the valve assembly is in an endwall of the container, and in a normally supine container, in which thevalve assembly enters the outer container through an upwardly facingside wall. In carrying out this aspect of the invention, theprestressing member, which is typically in the shape of a rib or aspoon, is bendable relative to the valve assembly so that it can beinserted through the side wall of the horizontal type of dispenser and,once inserted, can be bent so as to move toward the bottom wall of thecontainer.

Another related feature of the present invention. which is notnecessarily limited to use with a preassembled capsule type ofdispenser, is the provision ofa flexible bag liner inside the resilientbladder. The combination of a flexible bag and the resilient bladderaround it is particularly useful in instances where the bladder is toreceive a fluid which might damage the bladder or which might in turn bespoiled thereby. In such cases, the bag insert can be chosen to becompatible with the fluid which is to be dispensed, without having theresilience which is required of the bladder to expel all of itscontents. In other words, in the case of a fluid which is difficult tohandle, a single material need not have both the mechanicalcharacteristics required of the bladder and the chemical characteristicsrequired to be compatible with the contents of the bladder. To thecontrary, a common bladder material can be used with all fluids, with abag insert being used in case of those incompatible with it. Inaccordance with this feature of the invention, the bag insert is made tobe larger when it is filled than the bladder when it is contracted. Thebag is folded before insertion into the bladder and is unfolded and thusincreases in size as the fluid is injected into the bag, which in turncauses the bladder to stretch and thus expand.

Also disclosed herein is a novel manner of anchoring the bladder in thevalve assembly. In accordance with this feature of the invention, thevalve assembly includes a pair of cylindrical gland members whichbetween them define an annular space in which the inlet end of thebladder is held clamped. The outer gland member is locked into thecontainer and the inner gland member contains a valved passage throughwhich fluid enters into and is discharged from the bladder.Advantageously, the prestressing rib member is anchored in a slotprovided for that purpose in the outer gland member.

The pressurized capsule of the present invention lends itself to useeither individually, that is one container per capsule, or incombination with one or more similar capsules. Thus, there is disclosedherein a multiple chamber container in which each chamber contains itsindividual pressurized capsule. All of the capsules expel their contentsthrough a single valve assembly which may either intermix their contentsduring the discharging process or alternatively may keep their contentssegregated by means of individual discharge orifices. The pressurizedcapsule concept makes this type of multi-chamber container quitepractical since the entire multi-capsule assembly can be preassembledprior to insertion into the multi-chamber container.

The present invention and its advantages will be more clearly understoodwith reference to the following description of several embodimentsthereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section through an exemplary upright pressurizeddispenser in which a bladder is stretched longitudinally along asupporting member or rib which is rigidly anchored in a valve assemblyto which the neck of the bladder is also attached, the bladder beingshown in profile in its empty state;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 showingthe bladder in plan view in its empty state;

FIG. 3 is a cross section similar to FIG. 1 but with the bladder shownin a partially filled state;

FIG. 4 is a cross section similar to FIG. 3 but with the bladder beingshown in its filled state;

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate different container shapes and capsulelocations made possible by the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross section through a pressurized dispenser which isnormally supine and in which the pressurized capsule features a hingedsupport member to facilitate insertion of the capsule in to thecontainer;

FIG. 9 is a cross section similar to FIG. 8 but with the bladder shownin its filled state and with the hinged supporting member showndisplaced from its original position by the filled bladder;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the dispenser illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 toillustrate its cross section;

FIG. 1 l is an exploded perspective view of the hinge portion of thesupport member illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG. 11 with thesupport member shown in its erect position upon the valve assembly towhich it is hinged;

FIG. 13 illustrates an upright container basically like thoseillustrated in FIGS. 1-4 but with an actuator having a built in lock toprevent inadvertent discharging of the bladder;

FIG. 14 is a detailed cross section through a dispenser assemblyincluding a valve assembly and an actuator therefor and characterized bythe fact that the valve assembly has a pair of gland members which clampthe neck of the bladder between them and which are in turn held togetherby means of a locking cap;

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the valve and actuatorassembly shown in cross section in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross section through an alternative type of dispenserassembly characterized by the fact that it too includes a pair of glandmembers which clamp the neck of the bladder between them, but whichinterlock without the aid of a separate locking cap, thus permitting thebladder to be filled prior to the insertion of the valve mechanism intothe valve assembly;

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the base of the supportmember and of the bottom portion of the outer gland member of the valveassembly to show the manner in which they interfit;

FIGS. Isa-18d illustrate different alternative cross sections for thebladder support member shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of an actuator cap of the typeshown in cross section in FIG. 13, particularly illustrating its stopelements;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a valve assembly and of theroot portion of an alternative type of bladder support member which ischaracterized by the fact that the support member extends transverselyrelative to the principal axis of the valve assembly;

FIG. 21 is a side view showing a valve assembly in which a bladdersupport member is flexibly anchored so as to permit it to assume both anerect position, shown in solid lines, in which it extends generallyparallel to the axis of the valve assembly and a second position, shownin dotted lines, in which the support member extends transverselyrelative to the principal axis of the valve assembly;

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the valve assembly andbladder support member illustrated in FIG. 21;

FIGS. 23 and 23a illustrate in cross section one manner of anchoring anend of the bladder upon the bladder support member, featuring a clip inwhich the end of the bladder is crimped and which is provided with abutton-type fastener anchored in a slot provided for that purpose in thebladder support member;

FIGS. 24 and 24a illustrate in cross section and in exploded perspectiveview a method of anchoring the bladder upon the bladder support memberwherein the terminal portion of the bladder is locked between thebladder support member and a clip, with the clip having a plunger whichcrimps the bladder into an opening in the bladder support member;

FIGS. 25 and 25a are cross sections through yet another type of bladderand bladder support member wherein the bladder is attached to thebladder support member by means of a crimp-type fastener having anintegral extension which snaps into a slot provided in the end of thebladder support member;

FIGS. 26 and 26a show in plan view and cross section an embodiment inwhich the bladder terminates in a tab having a beaded end by means ofwhich the bladder is anchored in a slot provided near the tip of thebladder support member;

FIGS. 27 and 27a illustrate in plan view and cross section yet anotheralternative embodiment in which the bladder has a tab at its end with ahole therethrough, the bladder being attached to the bladder supportmember by means of a hollow rivet which extends through the hole in thetab into a countersunk hole in the support member;

FIGS. 2811-289 show alternative configurations which the bladder mayassume;

FIG. 29 is a cross section through a multiple chamber container in whicheach chamber contains an individual pressurized capsule;

FIG. 30 illustrates in cross section an exemplary pressurized capsulewherein the resilient bladder contains a folded bag as a liner, thecross section being taken before the bladder has been stretched upon itsassociated support member;

FIG. 31 is a cross section taken along line 31-31 of FIG. 30 showing theshape of the radially accordion folded bag within the bladder before thelatter has been stretched;

FIG. 32 is a cross section similar to FIG. 31, but taken after thebladder has been stretched, and showing its walls flattened and thefolded bag between them compressed; and

FIGS. 33a and 33b are cross sections through an exemplary uprightdispenser utilizing the bladder-bag combination of FIGS. 30-32 andshowing them in the partially and fully expanded states.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionis illustrated in the form of an upright pressurized dispenser 11 whoseprincipal components are an outer container 13 and a pressurized capsule15 mounted rigidly therein. The pressurized capsule 15 includes anelongate resilient bladder 17 having wall means 19 defining a fluidchamber 21 interior of the bladder and a fluid outlet 23 incommunication with the interior of the bladder. The capsule 15 alsoincludes, as a principal element, a rigid elongate member defining asupport surface 25 exterior of the bladder 17 against which the bladderis stretched longitudinally so as to maintain the bladder wall means 19in tension and the bladder 17 substantially empty in its contractedposition, which is illustrated in FIG. 1. In the exemplary embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-4 the elongate bladder 17 is sausage-shaped, beingclosed at one end 27 and having an open neck 29 (better shown in FIG.16).

The elongate support surface 25 along which the bladder 17 is stretchedis preferably defined by a generally spoon-shaped or spatulate rib 31,which is slightly arched so as to give the support surface 25 alongitudinally convex configuration. In accordance with the invention,the closed bladder end 27 is attached to the tip 33 of the spatulate rib31, this attachment preferably being by means of a clip 35, the tip 33of the rib being thickened in order to provide room for means to receivethe clip 35. In further keeping with the invention, the opposite end, orneck 29 of the bladder 17, as well as the base 37 of the rib 31, areanchored in a valve assembly 39 which in turn is mounted in a raisedneck portion 41 extending from an end wall 43 of the container 13. Aswill be described in greater detail hereinafter, the valve assembly 39includes a valved passage which is normally blocked and which is incommunication with the bladder outlet 23. Seated in the valve assembly39 is an actuator 45 having a hollow plunger 47 which extends into thevalve assembly 39 and which serves to open its valved passage. Theactuator 45 is better shown and will be described in greater detail withreference to FIG. 14. Suffice it to say at this point that it contains apassage through which fluid flows when the valved passage of the valveassembly 39 in unblocked. Partly for aesthetic purposes and partly toprevent thee actuator 45 from being dislodged, a protective cap 48 issnapped around the end wall 43 of the container 13, the cap having agenerally circular opening 49 through its top to provide clearance forthe central portion of the actuator 45 and having a slot through itsside to provide clearance for the dispensing spout 51 of the actuator.

The bladder 17, which is preferably made of an elastomeric material, isshown partially filled in FIG. 3 and in a substantially filled state inFIG. 4. Typically, filling is accomplished by injecting the desiredcontents of the bladder 17 under pressure through the valve assembly 39,with its actuator 45 removed. The amount of pressure required willdepend upon the contractive force of the bladder, a factor which isdetermined by the bladder wall thickness and the extent to which thebladder is elongated upon the rib 31 from its normally unstretchedcondition. As the bladder 17 receives its contents and expands, it willdisplace the air normally residing in the container 13 so that provisionis made for the escape of such air, this being preferably by providingsufficient clearance for this purpose between the container neck portion41 and the valve assembly 39 seated therein.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, it may be observed that, as thebladder receives its contents it expands both laterally, principallyaway from the supporting surface 25 toward the wall sector 53 oppositethe support surface 25, and downwardly toward the container bottom 55.The important point to note is that the expansion of the bladderlaterally and downward is substantially even and that there is nountoward bulging or ballooning of any particular portion of the bladderwall 19.

After the pressurized dispenser l 1 has been filled, the actuator 45 isinstalled in the valve assembly 39 and the protective cap 48 is snappedin place. In this condition the dispenser 11 may be stored forsubsequent use. The contents of the bladder 17 are prevented fromescaping through the valve assembly 39 due to the normally blocked stateof its valved passage. When it is desired to withdraw some or all of thecontents of the dispenser 11, the actuator 45 is depressed, therebyunblocking I the valved passage in the assembly 39. This permits thefluid contents of the bladder 17 to be expelled under the contractiveforce of the bladder wall 19. If the actuator 45 is held depressed longenough or often enough, the bladder 17 will eventually return to itsinitial state shown in FIG. 1 because of its initially longitudinallystretched condition in which it is held upon the supporting rib 31. Inthis way the waste attendant to sub stantially less than all of thebladder contents being expelled is elimiated.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 show some of the variations in the configurations ofthe container 13 which are made possible by the pressurized capsuleconcept illustrated in FIGS. l-4. In FIG. 5 the container is shown to becircular in cross section and the pressurized capsule 15, as indicatedby its actuator 45, is shown to be alternatively positioned eitheraxially, in solid lines, or away from the axis of the container, indashed lines. In FIG. 6, axial and offset locations for the pressurizedcapsule 15 are shown with reference to a container 13 having an ovalcross section, and a generally rectangularly cross sectioned container13 is illustrated with three altemative pressurized capsule locations inFIG. 7. This flexibility in container configuration and in capsulelocation is made possible by the-fact that the bladder 17 expandsasymmetrically with reference to the supporting rib 31 so that thesupporting rib can be easily offset toward a wall sector of a containerand the bladder 17 will still be able to expand properly toward theopposite wall sectors of the container, ultimately conforming thereto.

Referring next to FIGS. 14, and 16, two alternative constructions forthe valve assembly 39 will be described next. Generally, the valveassembly shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is intended for situations where thebladder 17 is to receive its contents through the completed valveassembly 39. On the other hand, the alternative valve embodiment shownin FIG. 16 makes possible the filling of the bladder 17 through thevalve assembly prior to its completion which, as will be seen later,permits the filling to occur more quickly.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 14 and 15, the valve assembly 39illustrated there is comprised of an inner gland 63 and an outer gland65 held together by a locking cap 67 and clamping between them the neck29 of the bladder 17. The remaining principal parts of the valveassembly 39 are a valve stem 69, a valve seat gasket 71 on the valvestem 69, and a valve spring 73 compressed between the valve stem 69 andthe inner gland 63. The inner gland 63 has a slightly taperedcylindrical outer wall 75 onto which the tubular open end, or neck 29 ofthe bladder 17 is pushed. The tapered wall 75 terminates in an outwardlyflared peripheral surface 77 and the bladder neck 29 is pushed up on thetapered gland surface 75 until it rides out onto the peripheral surface77. With the bladder neck 29 in this position the outer gland 65 ismoved axially along the bladder 17 until it is in the position shown inFIG. 14 in which a slightly tapered inner wall 79 of the outer gland 65is opposite the tapered outer wall 75 of the inner gland 63. In thisposition the inner and outer glands 63 and 65 clamp the bladder neck 29between them, thereby producing a tight and sealing fit. The bladderneck 29 is further secured by a pinching ring action produced by aperipheral convex rim 81 which is at the upper end of the tapered innerwall 79 and which is opposite the flared inner gland surface 77. Justoutside the peripheral rim 81 the gland member has a peripheral wellportion 83 so as to provide room for alternative bladder neckconfigurations, wherein the extreme end of the bladder is provided witha bead for even more secure anchoring thereof. Examples of such beadedbladder necks appear in FIG. 28.

Having assembled the inner and outer glands 63 and 65 with the bladderneck 29 between them, the next step is to insert the valve spring 73inside the inner gland 63 wherein it is supported by a set of radiallyinwardly extending retaining fingers 85. Seated on top of the valvespring 73 is the valve stem 69 which is held centered in the valvespring 73 by means of an axially extending seating guide 87. The valvestem 69 includes in addition to the guide 87, a valve disk 89 havingfingers 90 extending radially therefrom to hold it in place against theforce of the spring 73, and a slotted cylindrical stem which isillustrated as being Comprised of a set of prongs 91. The valve seatgasket 71 which is preferably made of an elastomeric material and whichis essentially right cylindrical with a cylindrical inner surface 93,may be mounted upon the valve stem 69 prior to its assembly into theinner gland 63, with the inner surface 93 of the gasket 71 fittingsnugly but axially slideably upon the valve stem prongs 91.

At its upper end the inner gland 63 has a peripheral, radially outwardlyextending ledge or rim 95 having an inner cylindrical surface 97terminating at its bottom in a radially inwardly extending narrow ledge99. Seated in the space within the rim 95 and defined by the surfaces 97and 99 is the valve seat gasket 71. The gasket has a cylindrical outersurface 101 which is dimensioned to provide a press fit against thegland inner surface 97 and to be restrained against axial movementtoward the bottom of the inner gland 63 by the ledge surface 99.

The next element to be added to the assembly is the locking cap 67 whichis principally comprised of a disk 103 having a peripheral rim 105 fromwhich a plurality of flexible locking fingers 107 depend. The lockingfingers 107 include a beam portion 109 which is capable of flexingradially outwardly and which terminates in a locking tip 11 1.Collaborating with the locking fingers 107 is a tapered rim 113 at thetop of the outer gland 65. The outer gland upper rim 113 and the lockingcap finger tips 111 are provided with cooperating cam surfaces 115 and117 respectively. When the locking cap 71 is pushed axially onto theouter gland 65, the camming surfaces 117 ride axially along the cammingsurfaces 115 forcing the fingers 107 radially outwardly until the fingertips 111 pass the bottom of the outer gland upper rim 113 at which pointthe fingers snap radially inwardly and lock the cap upon the gland 65.

After the construction of the valve assembly 39 has progressed to thestage just described, normally the next step is to attach the closed end27 of the bladder 17 to the tip 33 of the supporting rib 31 and toinsert the base 37 of the supporting rib into the valve assembly 39.Since this aspect of the pressurized container 11 forms an importantpart of the invention, it will be described in greater detailhereinafter. Let it be assumed for purposes of the present descriptionthat this step has been accomplished. With the bladder 17 and thesupporting rib 31 in place, the next step is to insert the valveassembly 39, with the supporting rib 31 extending downwardly therefromas seen in FIG. 1, into the coritainer neck 41. Two means for securingthe valve assembly 39 in the container neck 41 are illustrated in FIG.14. The first means includes a set of flexible fingers 119 which areintegral with the outer gland 65 and which extend radially outwardlyfrom the outer cylindrical surface 121 thereof. The fingers 119 includeoutwardly angled flexible shanks 123 terminating in stop surfaces 125which are generally parallel to the underside of the end wall 43 of thecontainer 13. The peripheral surfaces 127 of the outer gland retainingfingers 119 are axially tapered so as to present camming surfaceswhereby the fingers 119 are compressed radially as the valve assembly 39is pushed through the opening in the end wall 43. Once the fingers 1 19and in particular their camming surfaces 126 have cleared the end wall43 they snap radially outwardly and retain the valve assembly 39 in theend wall 43, with the finger stop surfaces 125 preventing radialmovement of the valve assembly relative to the end Wall.

A second, and alternative, means for securing the valve assembly 39 isshown in dashed lines in FIG. 14 as a set of flexible retaining fingersextending upwardly from the container end wall 43 as having radiallyinwardly extending tips 142 which hold the valve assembly 39 captive.

Once the valve assembly 39 has been installed in the container 13, theunit is ready to receive its fluid content. With the type of valveassembly illustrated in FIG. 14 this is done by utilizing the valvingaction of the valve stem 69 and the valve seat gasket 71. In particular,filling of the bladder 17 takes place through a cylindrical axialopening 127 in the locking cap 67. As seen in FIG. 14, the valve stemprongs 91 bear not only against the gasket 71 but also are seated in thelocking cap opening 127 with which they are in sliding engagement.Normally the components of the valve assembly 39 define a valved passagewhich extends through the inner gland 63 and through the locking capopening 127, which passage is blocked by the combined action of thegasket 71 and the valve stem 69. The blocking of the passage 129 isaccomplished by the intimate engagement of the convex peripheral upperedge 131 of the valve stem disk 89 and of the abutting bottom innercomer 133 of the gasket 71 which is deformed by the surface 131 into aperipheral concave configuration. The passage 129 is unblocked by movingthe valve stem 69 axially relative to the remaining parts of the valveassembly 39, typically by inserting a hollow plunger into the capopening 127 so as to press against the valve stem prongs 91. When thishappens, the valve stem convex surface 131 separates from the gasketcorner 133 and fluid is allowed to flow from the bottom portion of thevalved passage 129 between the normally abutting peripheral surfaces 131and 133 and between the valve stem prongs 91 out through the upperportion of the valved passage 129, defined by the locking cap axialopening 127. The valve assembly 39 is returned to its locked state byreleasing axial pressure from the valve stem 69, whose disk 89 ispromptly returned by the valve spring 73 into sealing engagement withthe gasket 71.

' Thus, to fill the bladder 17 through the valve assembly 39 a fillingspigot (not shown) is nonnally inserted through the cap opening 127 soas to depress the valve stem 69 and fluid is then fed under pressurethrough the valve assembly 39 into the bladder 17. When the bladder 17has received its desired contents and has sufficiently expanded toaccommodate such contents, the filling spigot is lifted out of the valveassembly 39 and the filling step is considered complete. All thatremains is to snap the actuator 45 into place. The actuator 45illustrated in FIG. 14 is slightly different from that shown in FIGS.1-4. It is comprised of a cap portion 135 having a skirt 137 riding onthe neck 41 of the container 13 so as to guide the actuator 45 betweenits released and depressed states and an axially extending tubularplunger 139 which is received in the locking cap opening 127. Theplunger 139 has a passage 141 therein which is continued through aradially extending spout 143. When the actuator 45 is depressed towardthe container 13, its plunger 139 unseats the valve stem 69, opens thepassage 129, and allows fluid to be discharged through the actuatorpassage 141.

Turning now to the manner in which the supporting member 31 is rigidlyanchored in the valve assembly 39, in the preferred embodiment of theinvention, as best shown in FIG. 17, the member 31 assumes an arcuateshape at its base extending over approximately 180 of arc. Extendingfrom the base of the support member 31 is an arcuate tongue 145approximately bisected by a slot 147. Cooperating with the tongue 145 isan annular groove 149 formed by a pair of concentric cylindrical walls151 and 153 at the base of the outer gland 65. A set of ribs 155 connectthe inner and outer gland wall members 151 and 153 across the annulargroove 149. The width of the annular groove 149 is designed so as toassure that it will grab tightly the arcuate tongue at the base of thesupport member 31. Similarly, the ribs have a thickness designed tocause them to be tightly engaged with the slot 147 between the segmentedhalves of the arcuate tongue 145. The purpose of the particular mountingarrangement illustrated in FIG. 17 is to permit the support member 31 tobe mounted in the outer gland 65 in any one of four different positionsspaced 90 apart, a flexibility in design which has advantages in certainapplications.

FIG. 16 shows an alternative arrangement for the valve assembly 39. Thealternative valve assembly of FIG. 16 includes the same principalelements as those contained in the valve assembly of FIG. 14 and areidentified with the same reference numerals, but with the suffix a addedfor clarity. The basic difference between the valve assemblies of FIGS.14 and 16 is in the manner in which they are held together. The valveassembly of FIG. 14 is held together by the locking cap 67 whichinterlocks with the outer gland member 65, capturing the remainingelements of the valve assembly 39 between them. In contrast, the innerand outer gland members 63a and 65a of the valve assembly 39 in FIG. 16interlock without the aid of the locking cap 71a, which permits them tosecure the bladder neck 29 between them before the valve stem 69, thevalve spring 73 and the valve gasket 71 have been installed. This inturn has the advantage of permitting fluid to be injected through theinner gland member 63a into the bladder 17 without interference by theaforementioned valve elements, and hence more quickly.

Turning more specifically to the elements of the modified valve assemblyof FIG. 16, the inner gland member 63a is provided at its upper end withan outwardly flaring peripheral cam surface 157. Cooperating with thecam surface 157 are a set of locking fingers 159 which extend upwardlyfromthe rim of the outer gland member 65a. The locking fingers 159terminate in radially inwardly pointed tips 161 having inwardly slopingcam surfaces 163. The locking fingers 159 are flexible and bend radiallyoutwardly as the outer gland 65a is pushed onto the inner gland 63a, thebladder neck 29 first having been pulled onto the inner gland 63a, withthe inner gland cam surface 157 bearing against the outer gland fingercam surfaces 163. When the outer gland finger tips 161 pass above thetop of the inner gland 63a, the locking fingers 159 snap back radiallyinwardly securely to capture the inner gland 63a inside the outer gland65a.

With the outer gland 65a locked around the inner gland 63a and with thebladder neck 29 clamped between them, the assembly shown in FIG. 16 maybe pressed into the end wall 43 of the container 13 (FIG. 1) inpreparation for filling of the bladder 17. One effective way ofaccomplishing this is to apply a vacuum between the inner walls of theouter container 13 and the wall 19 of the bladder 17. The bladder wallthickness may be designed for this purpose to be such that theatmospheric pressure inside the bladder is capable of inflating thebladder 17 to its ultimate size which is typically the fully inflatedstate shown in FIG. 4. In certain instances where it is desired that thebladder 17 be expanded with greater force than that made possible by thepressure differential between simple atmospheric pressure inside thebladder and a near vacuum in the space between the bladder and thecontainer 13, an ambient pressure which is greater than atmospheric maybe maintained in the space where the pressurized container 11 is beingfilled.

After the bladder 17 has been inflated by the pressure differentialcreated between the inside of the bladder and the space between thebladder and the container wall, the substance to be filled is injectedinto the bladder through the inner gland 63a as if an open bottle werebeing filled, since the bladder will typically adhere to the wall of thecontainer. Once filling has been accomplished, the pressure differentialmust be maintained until the remaining valve elements have beeninstalled. This is so since the bladder 17 is now stretched and if thepressure differential were released, the bladder would contract andwould expel its contents. Therefore, while the pressure differential isstill maintained, the valve spring 73a, the valve stem 69a and thegasket 71a are installed inside the inner gland 63a after which thelocking cap 67a is snapped in place. It will be noted from FIG. 16 thatthe locking cap 67a has the same type of locking fingers 107a as itscounterpart in FIG. 14 and that it engages with the rim of the outergland 65a in the same manner as explained with reference to FIGS. 14 and15. There is shown in FIG. 16 an optional additional element which is asecuring ring 165 that can be slipped around the locking fingers 107a toprevent them from accidentally spreading apart.

FIGS. 13 and 19 illustrate an alternative design for the actuator 45 andthe locking cap 67 illustrated in FIG. 15. Basically, the actuator,labeled 45b and the locking cap labeled 67b, include a pair of stopsurfaces 167 and 169. As in FIG. 14, the actuator 45b of FIGS. 13 and 19has a hollow plunger 139b which is slideably disposed in the axialpassage 127b housing the valve stem 69 (not shown in FIGS. 13 and 19).As explained before, when the actuator 45b is depressed, the plunger139b slides down in the axial valve passage 127b so as to unseat thevalve stem 69. The actuator 45b is rotatable upon the locking cap 67b,with the stop surfaces 167 and 169 abutting one another when theactuator is rotated to a particular position (shown by dashed lines inFIG. 13) so as to prevent the actuator from being depressed. Inparticular, the surfaces 167 and 169 are formed by radially extendingtabs, one of which depends from the actuator 45b, and the other of whichrises from the top surface of the locking cap 67b. A pair of detents 171and 173 are located on the tabs 167 and 169 and they interlock so as toyieldably resist the actuator 4512 from rotating out of its lockedposition once placed therein.

In assembling the bladder 17 and the support member 31 to the valveassembly 39, the first step is to clamp the bladder neck 29 between theinner and outer gland members 63 and 65 either as explained withreference to FIG. 14 or as outlined in connection with FIG. 16. Then theopposite or closed end 27 of the bladder 17 is attached to the tip 33 ofthe supporting rib 31. Finally, the arcuate tongue 145 at the base ofthe support member 31 is slipped into the annular groove 149 at the baseof the outer gland 65. The length of the bladder 17 relative to that ofthe supporting rib 31 is designed so as to place the bladder 17 intension along its length. In this state one of its walls 17a (FIG. 16)lies flat against the support surface 25 of the support member 31, whileits opposite wall 17b is constrained to lie flat against its first wall17a along the length of the bladder except for the area near the base ofthe support member 31. As a result, the bladder tends to be emptythroughout its length except for a small volume 175 just below thebladder neck 29. The support surface 25 presented by the support member31 changes from a generally semi-circular concave area near the base ofthe support member to one which is only slightly curved and which may beeither convex with tapered edges (FIG. 18a), convex with flat edges(FIG. 18b), straight (FIG. 18c), or concave (FIG. 18d). These last fourpossible cross sections are merely illustrative of the variations incross section which are possible.

The particular bladder support member 31 to which reference has beenmade thus far is best suited for use in upright containers such as thatshown in FIGS. l-4. This type of support member 31 may extend eitherparallel to the axis of the valve assembly 39, as shown in FIG. 16, orat a slight angle, as illustrated in FIG. 14. Alternatively, however,instead of extending substantially directly away from the valve assembly39, the support member 31 may also extend transversely therefrom asshown in FIG. 20. In that figure, there is shown a modified valveassembly 396 having a locking cap 670 similar to that illustrated inFIG. 14 and an outer gland 65c having an arcuate slot 177 in its sideterminating in a pair of semi-circular depressions 179. Also illustratedis a modified bladder support member 316 whose stem terminates in anarcuate collar 181 having enlarged ends 183 designed to fit into thedepressions 179. The arcuate collar 181 is sufficiently flexible topermit it to be snapped into the slot 177 with the depressions 179 inthe gland 65c being spaced slightly farther apart than the enlarged ends183 so that they snap into place only after the collar 181 has beenslightly deformed, after which the ends 183 snap in place and thesupport member 310 is held rigidly in place upon the valve assembly 390.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 20 is suitable for use in containers of thetype shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 wherein the container is normallysupine, that is it lies on its side and in which the valve assemblyextends from the upper side of the container. Alternative designssuitable for use with this type of container are shown in FIGS. 21 and22 and in FIGS. 11 and 12. Basically, these alternative designs featurea bladder support member 31 which is mounted flexibly relative to thevalve assembly 39 so that it is capable of extending both axially andlaterally therefrom. The simplest of the two alternatives is shown inFIGS. 21 and 22 and includes a tab 185 which extends from the arcuatebase of the bladder support member 31d. A set of slots 186 aredistributed peripherally along the bottom of the outer gland 65d and aredesigned snugly to receive the tab 185.

Just as in the case of the mounting arrangement shown in FIG. 17, thebladder support member 31d shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 can be installed inany of several alternative positions, depending upon the slot 186 intowhich the tab 185 is inserted. Once in place in the outer gland 65d, thesupport member 31d tends naturally to extend axially therefrom.Moreover, it tends to remain in this erect position due to the pull ofthe blad der 17 which is stretched along its support surface 25d. Thesupport member 31d may be left in this position if it is desired to usethe assembly in an uprightcontainer such as that shown in FIGS. 1-4. Onthe other hand, if it is desired to use it in a horizontally disposedcontainer such as that shown in FIGS. 8-10, then the support member 31dwould be flexed during the process of the valve assembly 39d beinginstalled into the opening provided for it in the side of the container,asindicated in dotted lines in FIG. 21. v v

The second alternative for providing a valve support member which can beused in a horizontal disposed container is to mount the support memberupon the valve assembly by means of a hinge. As best shown in FIGS.8-12, a supine dispenser featuring a hinged support member 31e includesa container 13e having a flat bottom wall and a flat top wall having aslightly thickened portion 43e supporting a raised neck 41e. A valveassembly 39e is seated in the wall portion 43e in the neck 41e. Thehinged bladder support member 31e best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 includesa flat neck 187 having a pair of spaced apart hinge members 189 thereon.The valve assembly 39e includes, as in the other embodiments, a lockingcap 67e and an outer gland member 65e, the latterhaving a single hingemember 191 dimensioned to fit between the hinge members 189. With thehinges 189 and 191 aligned, a hinge pin 193 is inserted into them, thuscompleting thehinged at tachment of the support member 31 e to the valveassembly 39e.

It will be understood that the completion of the hinge will occur afterthe bladder neck 29 has been clamped into the bladder assembly 3%afterthe closed end 27 of the bladder 17 has been attached to the end33e of the support member 31e.

As in the case of the support member 31d, shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, thecontractive force of the bladder will tend to pull the support member31e into an erect position in which it extends axially away from thevalve assembly 39 e.-A pair of stop surfaces 195 at the upper end of thesupport member 31e serve to determine the erect position of the supportmember, thesestop surfaces bearing against the bottom surface 197 of theouter gland 65e. In this position the combination of the valve assembly39e, the bladder 17 and the bladder support member 3le can be used in anupright container such as that shown in FIGS. 1-4. Primarily, however,they are intended to be used with the support member 31e bent at anangle with the axis of the valve assembly 39e as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.After thebladder 17 has been attached to the support member 31e and thelatter has been hinged to the valve assembly 39e the support member 31ewith the bladder 17 stretched thereupon is inserted through the openingin the thickened wall portion 43e and upon meeting the bottom of thecontainer 13e is bent thereby into the position shown in FIG. 8. Uponinflation of the bladder 17 (either due to a pressure differentialachieved by a vacuum between it and the container l3e, or as a result ofreceiving its ultimate contents), the inflated bladder lifts the supportmember 31e away from the bottom of in other details. Some of thesevariations are illustrated I in FIG. 28.

Thesimplest form of bladder is that illustrated in FIG. 28a. It is openat one end, closed at the opposite end, hasa wall of uniform crosssection and may be produced by clip processing. An alternative formshown in FIGS. 28b and 280 is comprised of a tube 17b which isoriginally open at both of its ends and whose bottom end is closedbyfolding it back upon itself by means of a clip 201. The clip 201 maycarry a suitable pin 203 by which the closed end of the tube maybe'attached to the tip of the bladder support member.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 28d, the bladder may be slightly taperedfrom its open end to its closed end and may carry a beaded rim 204 tofacilitate its anchoring in the valve assembly 39 as illustrated in FIG.16.

In addition to the flat and beaded terminations for the bladder 17,other terminations may also be used, some of which are illustrated inFIGS. 28e-28i. The purpose of these possible variations is to facilitatethe anchoring of the bladder neck 29 between the inner and outer glands63 and 65. Thus, the bladder neck may be flared (FIG. 28e), beaded (FIG.28f), flanged (FIG. 28g), outwardly flanged and funneled with a 17,while usually generally elongated inshape, may vary beaded end (FIG.28h), or (FIG. 28i).

Additional variations inbladder configuration may also occur at itsclosed end. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 28j and 28k a tab 205 may extendfrom the blind end of the bladder shown in side view in FIG. 28j and incross section in FIG. 28k. An opening 207 extends through the tab 205and the bladder l7j is attached to the tipof the support member 31 bymeans of a fastener through the opening 207. Alternatively, as shown byFIGS. 281 and 28m, which illustrate the same bladder bottom portion inplan and side view, a tab 209 may extend from the blind end of thebladder terminating in simply outwardly flanged a bead 211 which may beinserted in a slot provided for that purpose in the tip of the supportmember 31. The bead 21 I may extend axially from the tab 209 or it maybe offset slightly to one side as shown in FIG. 28h, wherein an offsetbead 214 extends from a tab 212 depending from-the bottom of the bladderl7n.v

.Yetanother variation may occur in the shape of the bladder at itsclosed end. It may be slightly pointed (FIG. 28o), orv it may be flat(FIG. 28p), rather than being hemispherical in the manner illustrated inFIG. 28a.

Finally, the bladder may be circular in cross section (FIG. 2 8q), oval(FIG. 28r), or rectangular (FIG. 28s). The flattened configurationsrepresented by FIGS. 28r and 28s have certain advantages for largersized bladders in that they tend naturally to flatten, and thereforerequire less pull to cause their opposite walls to contact one anotherthan is the case with a bladder of circular cross section, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 28q.

Alternative means for attaching the closed end of the bladder 17 to thetip of the bladder support member 31 are shown in FIGS. 23-27. As shownin FIG. 23a, one number of attaching the bladder to the tip 33 of thebladder support member 31 is to provide a slot 213 in the tip 33 andtoclamp the end of the bladder 17 inside a deformable clip 215 having apin 217 extending therefrom and adapted to be slipped into and to beretained in the slot 213. The particular clip illustrated in FIGS. 23and 23a is made of a continuous strip of metal through the center ofwhich the pin 217 extends, and

in which the pin is anchored by a roughly pyramidshaped head 219. Theopposite end of the pin 217 is in the form of a ball 221 which onceinserted through the widened eve of the slot 213 and slipped downthrough the slot is securely retained therein. The bladder 17 is showncrimped between the opposite wall portions of the clamp 215 in FIG. 23.

A non-metallic, typically plastic, fastener which is also designedprimarily for use with a bladder having a closed or blind end, such asthat illustrated in FIG. 28a is shown in FIGS. 24 and 24a. Thenon-metallic clip of FIGS. 24 and 24a includes a back wall portion 225from which a pair of opposed flexible anchoring arms 227 and 229 extend.The flexible arms 227 and 229 terminate in a pair of latching tips 231and 233 which are adapted to be inserted into a corresponding pair ofslots 235 and 236 in the support member tip 33, as best shown in FIG.24. By virtue of cam surfaces carried by the latching tips 231 and 233and by the slots 235 and 237, as the arms 227 and 229 of the clip 223are inserted into the slots 235 and 237 they are forced to bend towardone another until the latching tips 231 and 233 clear the edges of theslots 235 and 237, after which they snap back and are captured therein.

A plunger 239 extends from between the arms 227 and 229 and into aregistering depression 241 in the tip 33. The bladder 17 is attached tothe tip 33 of the bladder'support member 31 by laying its extreme end ontop of the depression 241 and between the slots 235 and 237. With thebladder in this position, the clip 223 is snapped in place upon thesupport member tip 33 as a result of which the plunger 239 enters thedepression 241, clamping and crimping the walls of the bladder 17securely between them.

Yet another approach to attaching the bladder 17 to the support member31 is shown in FIGS. 25 and 25a wherein a one-piece deformable clip 243is illustrated. The clip 243 has a rear portion 243a in which thebladder 17 may be inserted and a front portion 243!) which is initiallyflat and which in that flat state may be inserted into a flat slot 245extending through the tip 33. Once the bladder 17 has been inserted intothe clip 243 and the clip has been pushed into the slot 245 a crimplingtool is applied to the bottom 247 of the clip 243 and also to its head243b. By means of the crimping tool the clip bottom 247 and the cliphead 243b are pushed toward one another which has the effect both ofcrimping the bladder 17 within the clip 243 and of riveting the head24317 of the clip within the slot 245.

In cases where the bladder embodiments with the beaded bottoms, such asthose shown in FIGS. 28!, 28m, and 28n, are used, they are held as shownin FIGS. 26 and 26a within a slot in the support member tip 33.

Finally, the closed end of a bladder may be attached to the tip 33 ofthe bladder support member 31 by providing the bladder with a perforatedtab as shown in FIGS. 28j and 28k and fastening the tab through theperforation as shown in FIGS. 27 and 27a. In particular, the tip 33 ofthe support member 31 has a cylindrical opening 249 extendingtherethrough, the opening having a constricted portion on the back sideof the tip and a wider portion entering from the front side of the tipwhich forms part of the bladder support surface 25. The bladder 17 isfastened upon the tip 33 by first inserting a hollow rivet 251 throughthe narrow end of the opening 249, then stretching the bladder so as tohang its tab by means of the opening in that tab upon the shank of therivet 251 and finally crimping the rivet so as to flatten its head,thereby anchoring it securely in the opening 249 while at the same timecrimping its flaring opposite end against the bladder tab 205.

Some or all of the features described hereinabove may be applied notonly in a container having a single chamber and a single pressurizedcapsule but also in a multi-chamber container wherein each chambercontains its individual pressurized capsule. An example of such a deviceis illustrated in FIG. 29. Shown there is a single container 253containing a first and a second chamber 255 and 257 separated by acommon wall 259. The shapes of the individual chambers 255 and 257 aredetermined by the desired overall cross sectional configuration of thecontainer 253 which may be rectangular or any other shape dictated byfunctional or aesthetic considerations.

Extending into the respective chambers 255 and 257 are identicalpressurized capsules 261 and 263 which are shown as being identical tothe pressurized capsule 15 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. A single actuator265 is provided to control the valve assemblies of the respectivecapsules 261 and 263. In particular, the actuator 265 is provided with apair of spaced-apart hollow plungers 267 and 269 which enter intorespective ones of the valve assemblies and which serve to draw fluidthrough those valve assemblies when the actuator 265 is depressed. Bothof the plungers 267 and 269 are vented through a common passage 270leading to and through the spout (not shown) of the actuator 265,thereby providing a mixing of the two fluids contained in the respectivecapsules.

Alternatively, separate spouts may be provided where the contents of thecapsules are to be dispensed concurrently but separately. Naturally,separate actuators, one for each of the capsules 261 and 263 may beprovided where it is desired that their contents be dispensed bothseparately and independently.

Yet another important alternative to the aforementioned embodiment isillustrated in FIGS. 30-33. The embodiment of FIGS. 30-33 is similar tothat illustrated in FIG. 16 in that an elongated bladder 17f is anchoredat its neck 29]" between an interlocking inner gland 63f and outer gland65f and wherein the valve spring, valve stem, and valve gasket (notshown) are held in their operative positions inside the inner gland 65fby a locking cap 65f in the same manner illustrated in and explainedwith reference to FIG. 16. In addition to these components, however, theassembly illustrated in FIGS. 30-33 also includes a flexible bag 271inside the bladder 17f. As explained in the introductory portion of thisdescription, the function of the flexible bag 271 is to provide an innerlining for the bladder 17f which separates the bladder wall from thebladder contents. The configuration of the bag 271 shown in FIGS. 30-33is one which is believed to be particularly suitable for insertion intoan elongated bladder. While the bladder 17f is made capable of expandingby virtue of its resiliency, the bag 271 is given the same capability byappropriate folds therein. Thus, to permit the bag 271 to expandlongitudinally its bottom portion 273 is folded back into its topportion 275 so that the bottom and top bag portions 273 and 275 areadjacent one another. The top bag portion 275 then extends around theneck 29f of the bladder 17f so as to be clamped, together with thebladder neck 29f, between the inner

1. A pressurized apparatus comprising: a. an elongated resilient bladder having wall means defining a fluid chamber interior of the bladder and a fluid outlet in communication with the interior of the bladder; b. an elongate surface exterior of the bladder against which said bladder is stretched longitudinally so as to maintain the bladder wall means in tension and the bladder substantially empty in the contracted position, said elongate surface being longitudinally convex and formed by a rigid, generally spatulate member; and c. a valve assembly, said spatulate member being anchored at one of its ends in said valve assembly, the fluid outlet of said bladder being located at one end of said bladder and being anchored in said valve assembly so as to receive and discharge fluid therethrough, the bladder being attached at its opposite end ot the free end of said spatulate member.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bladder extends from said valve assembly along the longitudinally convex side of said spatulate member to its end and back partly along the opposite side of said member where it is anchored thereto.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said spatulate member is bendably attached at its anchored end to said valve assembly to permit the direction in which said member extends away from said valve assembly to change.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said bendable attachment is attained by a hinge in said spatulate member.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said bendable attachment is attained by a flexible tab connecting said spatulate member to said valve assembly.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bladder is blind at its end opposite its outlet end and is provided with an integral tab extending from said blind end for attachment to said spatulate member.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bladder is originally open at its end opposite its outlet end and wherein there is additionally provided a clip for sealing said originally open end, said clip having means for fastening said sealed, originally open end of said bladder to said spatulate member.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a bag is contained within said bladder for receiving all of the fluid entering said bladder.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said bag has a fluid outlet extending through the fluid outlet of said bladder and anchored in said valve assembly, said bag being larger when filled with fluid than said bladder in its contracted position.
 10. For use in a rigid container, a pressurized capsule for dispensing a fluid from within said interior comprising: a. a valve assembly seated in a wall of said container; b. a longitudinally bowed, generally spatulate rib forming a longitudinally convex support surface, said rib being anchored at one end in said valve assembly and extending therefrom into said container; and c. a generally sausage-shaped bladder stretched along said support surface upon said rib, said bladder having an open inlet end anchored in said valve assembly and a sealed tail end anchored upon said rib so as to contrast said bladder and to cause substantially all of the fluid which it contains to be expelled ultimately therefrom through said valve assembly.
 11. A capsule accoRding to claim 10 wherein said valve assembly includes: a. a first, generally cylindrical gland member inside the inlet end of said bladder; b. a second generally cylindrical gland member surrounding the inlet end of said bladder; and c. means for pressing together said gland members so as to clamp the inlet end of said bladder between them.
 12. A capsule according to claim 10 wherein said valve assembly additionally includes: a. a cap means having an inlet port therethrough; b. a spring loaded valve compressed between said inlet port and said first cylindrical gland member normally to seal one from the other; and c. said valve being characterized further in that the means for pressing together said gland members includes interlocking means on said second gland member and on said cap means, said cap means serving both to press together said first and second gland members and to retain said valve within said first gland member.
 13. The capsule of claim 11 wherein the means for pressing together said gland members includes: a. interlocking means on said inner and outer gland members adapted to retain said inner gland member inside said outer gland member.
 14. The capsule of claim 13 wherein said valve assembly includes: a. cap means having an inlet port therethrough and clamped onto said second gland member; and b. a spring loaded valve compressed between said inlet port and said first cylindrical gland member normally to seal one from the other.
 15. The capsule of claim 12 wherein a bag is contained within said bladder for receiving all of the fluid entering said bladder, said bag having a fluid inlet portion extending inside the inlet end of said bladder and around said first gland member so as to be clamped, along said bladder inlet end, between said first and second gland members.
 16. The capsule of claim 15 wherein said bag is larger, when filled with fluid, than said bladder in its contracted position, said bag being folded in order to fit within said bladder.
 17. The capsule of claim 10 wherein said spatulate rib is held normally erect upon said valve assembly by said stretched bladder and is deflectable from its erect state against the force of said bladder.
 18. For use with a pressurized container wherein a bladder having a neck is stretched along a surface exterior of said bladder, a valve assembly comprising: a. interfitting inner and outer cylindrical gland members, said members having opposing surfaces defining an annular space between them for receiving the neck of said bladder so as to provide an inlet passage to said bladder through said inner gland; b. valve means in said inner gland member selectively to block said inlet passage; and c. means independent of said container for pressing said inner gland member into said outer gland member so that said valve assembly may be preassembled as a unit independent of said container with said valve means inserted in said inner gland member and the neck of said bladder clamped between said inner and outer gland members.
 19. For use with a pressurized container wherein a bladder having a neck is stretched along a surface exterior of said bladder, a valve assembly comprising: a. interfitting inner and outer cylindrical gland members, said members having opposing surfaces defining an annular space between them for receiving the neck of said bladder so as to provide an inlet passage to said bladder through said inner gland; b. means for pressing said inner gland member into said outer gland member so as to clamp the neck of said bladder between them; and c. valve means in said inner gland member selectively to block said inlet passage; d. said means for passing said inner gland member into said outer gland member is a cap having a flange with means for locking onto said outer gland member and a disk portion for bearing against said inner gland member and also against said valve means so as to retain the latter withIn said inner gland member.
 20. A valve assembly according to claim 19 wherein said valve means includes an annular gasket seated in the outer end of said inner gland member and a spring loaded plunger compressed between said inner gland member and said gasket.
 21. For use with a pressurized container wherein a bladder having a neck is stretched along a surface exterior of said bladder, a valve assembly comprising: a. interfitting inner and outer cylindrical gland members, said members having opposite surfaces defining an annular space between them for receiving the neck of said bladder so as to provide an inlet passage to said bladder through said inner gland; b. means for pressing said inner gland member into said outer gland member so as to clamp the neck of said bladder between them comprising flexible latching fingers extending inwardly from the outer end of said outer gland member, said fingers being temporarily deflected when said inner gland member is pressed through them and into said outer gland member, said fingers then snapping back to latch the outer end of said inner gland member; and c. valve means in said inner gland member selectively to block said inlet passage.
 22. For use with a pressurized container wherein a bladder having a neck is stretched along a surface exterior of said bladder, a valve assembly comprising: a. inner and outer cylindrical gland members, said inner gland member being received by, and interlocking with, said outer gland member, said gland members having juxtaposed surfaces defining an annular space between them for receiving the neck of said bladder so as to provide an inlet passage to said bladder through said inlet gland, said juxtaposed surfaces clamping said neck between them when said gland members are interlocked; b. valve means in said inner gland member selectively to block said inlet passage; and c. cap means engaging a portion of said inner gland member and fitting around the end of, and locking said inner gland member onto said outer gland member for retaining said valve means in said inner gland member so that said valve assembly may be preassembled as a unit independent of said container.
 23. Apparatus for holding and discharging fluid under pressure comprising: a. a container having an opening therein; b. a dispensing assembly in said opening, said dispensing assembly having a valved passage therethrough for controllably discharging fluid held in said container under pressure; c. a rib member anchored at one of its ends in said dispensing assembly and extending therefrom into said container, said rib member having an elongated surface thereon; and d. a resilient bladder having an inlet end anchored in said dispensing assembly so as to place the inside of said bladder in communication with said valved passage, said bladder being stretched from its anchored end along the elongate surface of said rib member so as to maintain the walls of said bladder in tension and the bladder substantially empty in the contracted position, said dispensing assembly including: i. an outer cylindrical gland member anchored in said container opening; ii. an inner cylindrical gland member extending into, and held within, said outer gland member, said gland members defining an annular space between them in which the inlet end of said bladder is received and anchored; iii. a passage extending axially through said inner gland member; iv. spring loaded valve means slideably disposed within said inner gland member for normally blocking said passage; v. actuator means for displacing said valve means so as to unlock said passage; and vi. means independent of said container for retaining said inner gland member to said outer gland member so that said dispensing assembly, said rib member and said resilient bladder may be preassembled prior to insertion into said container.
 24. Apparatus for holding and discharging fluid under pressure comprising: a. a container having an opening therein; b. a dispensing assembly in said opening, said dispensing assembly having a valved passage therethrough for controllably discharging fluid held in said container under pressure; c. a rib member anchored at one of its ends in said dispensing assembly and extending therefrom into said container, said rib member having an elongate surface thereon, said rib member being hinged in order to make said rib member deflectable in said dispensing assembly so as to permit said member to conform to the configuration of said container; d. a resilient bladder having an inlet end anchored in said dispensing assembly so as to place the inside of said bladder in communication with said valved passage, said bladder being stretched from its anchored end along the elongate surface of said rib member so as to maintain the walls of said bladder in tension and the bladder substantially empty in the contracted position.
 25. Apparatus for holding and discharging fluid under pressure comprising: a. a container having an opening therein; b. a dispensing assembly in said opening, said dispensing assembly having a valved passage therethrough for controllably discharging fluid held in said container under pressure; c. a rib member anchored at one of its ends in said dispensing assembly and extending therefrom into said container, said rib member having an elongate surface thereof, said rib being mounted in said dispensing assembly by means of a flexible tab in order to make said rib deflectable in said dispensing assembly so as to permit said member to conform to the configuration of said container; and d. a resilient bladder having an inlet end anchored in said dispensing assembly so as to place the inside of said bladder in communication with said valved passage, said bladder being stretched from its anchored end along the elongate surface of said rib member so as to maintain the walls of said bladder in tension and the bladder substantially empty in the contracted position.
 26. Apparatus for holding and discharging fluid under pressure comprising: a. a container having an opening therein; b. a dispensing assembly in said opening, said dispensing assembly having a valved passage therethrough for controllably discharging fluid held in said container under pressure; c. a rib member anchored at one of its ends in said dispensing assembly and extending therefrom into said container, said rib member having an elongate surface thereon; and d. a resilient bladder having an inlet end anchored in said dispensing assembly so as to place the inside of said bladder in communication with said valved passage, said bladder being stretched from its anchored end along the elongate surface of said rib member so as to maintain the walls of said bladder in tension and the bladder substantially empty in the contracted position, said elongate surface being longitudinally convex and said rib being held erect upon said dispensing assembly by said stretched bladder and being deflectable from its erect state against the force of said bladder.
 27. For use in a multiple chamber container, a pressurized apparatus for dispensing separately stored fluids from within said container comprising: a. a valve assembly anchored in a wall of said container and having at least one valve passage for dispensing fluid stored in said container; b. at least two spaced apart rib members forming longitudinally convex support surfaces, said rib members being anchored at one of their ends in said valve assembly and extending therefrom into said container; and c. at least two bladders, each having an inlet end anchored in said valve assembly in communication with said at least one valved passage and each said bladder being stretched from said valve assembly along a respective one of said support surfaces so that each said bladder is contracted and substantially all of the fluid which it contains is expelled therefrom ultimately through said at least one valved passage. 